Cotton chopper



Nov. 1 9, 1929. 0.12. MORRIS COTTON CHOPPER Filed Oct. 19, 1927 2Sheets-Sheet am-vemfo o C. 3 .2w orrzs Nov. 19, 1929; c. E. MORRIS1,736,127

' f COTTON CHOPPER Filed Oct. 19, .1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 an-umatoz C.E-Morria Patented Nov. 19 1929 co r'ron Parana LITTLE ROCK, .ARKA NSASCHOPP R e ma; niea' oetober 19, 1927. seriarnofiazmso.

' This invention has for its=object=the provision of a cotto'n chopperbythe use of'which the standing-cotton will be cut away at regularintervals so that a proper growth of the remaining plants may occur, themachine being so arranged *as'to run onthe ridge' orrow ofyoung plantsto scrape the sides of the ridge evenly and operate a cutter from 1elements rolling: onthes'c'raped sides ofthe ridge oiso that the cutter*w ill operate at a uniform height from'end'toend of thi-BTOW; Theinf--'ventio'n,falso hasfor its object the provision of a1 machinewhich-Will -be simple I in construuomand; efficien'tin-operation. The inY vention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and consists incertain novel features"Which-- W illloe particularly pointed out intheap'pended claim. i r

"In the drawings ment (if the-invention; i V l 1g. 2 is' aplanyiew ofthe same r Y Fig; 3 is ia vertie al transverse sec tion taken "just inadvance of the cutter or -h'oe, and 5 FigsL 4*and 5 are 'detail''perspectiv shtiwingvaridu's forms of hoes.

In the drawings,'-the reference numeral 1 indicates a-m-ainframe whichmay be of an suitallle construction and is illustrated as consi'st-ingof side bars connected at 'their rear ends loya c'ross"'bar 2 andlattheir front ends by a bail 3 havingan eye Ol -fringfl ttt' itscenten'Wher eby itmay' be"=conne'eted to a tractor or to a draft animalor be connected "to an jordinary wheeled *cultiyator so as to -runhetween the @Wheels; of the cultivator. I To the side's pf the main"frame are-secured *hztiidles 5 "(if Well known form whereby the mach'inemay be steered by anfattendant wa l lzing-at the rear of the-same.3 {Near the front 'ends-ofvthe side bars, I s cure-theretohangers 6carrying scrapers 7 i a't the'ir lower ends; the "scrapersbeingedisposedso; as to converge up-- "Wardly =and forwardly and beinth'ereby' #4 adapted to f =along the ridge *and scrape the sides o'fthesame {to smooth surface-ham ing a uniform inclination downwardly and:outwardly from its; apex ,aleng wh ch the plants are growing. At there'aroftherhangers 6," i standards: 8 are -provided and these I Figurehis a side 'e'levation of one enibodie views standards are constructedwith slots 9 through which fastening loolts- 10' may -be inserted' toadj ustably secure the standards to the sidebars of the main trame. the

'lowerends of these standards is=rotatably 5s m'ounted a shaft 1 1 Whichextends through the standards and upon whiohattbei-nner sidez'of'onestandard issecured' a sprocket pinion 12 for apurposeiwhi'chWillpresently appear; :Upon the ends of the =shai t11-are n0 securedtapered rollers 13 having their snraller ends disposed inwardly so thatthese ro11- =ers Will run along the sides -ofthe ridge ir'n- "mediatelyin rear of the scrapers '7' an'd will tend to compress the soil about"the-'roots of -the plants and also transmitrotation to the shaft to=actuate-the pinion 1 2. -A't the'rear ofythe standards -9, bearingbrackets-or standards 14 i are secured uporr the' side bars e f-theqn-ain frame and *r'ot-atably mounted -inthe upper ends of thesebraeketsor standards is a shaft-15 provided near one =end' -With a sp'ro'eketge'a'r 1"16, about -Which and the *sprocket pinion 12% chain 1'? istrained. Bej tween the standards 14, a'eam Wheel 18 is secured to theshaft 15 and in the circum- "ferential surface ofthis wheel is formed aeam groove 19, as shown. lmfmediat'elyiin ad- -va'nceof the 'cam'wheel18, an arched-bracket 20' is secured transversely upongth'e =main 1frame and in thetop of this arch 'at the center ofthe same is formedslot'21 through-Which i the shank 22 J of the hoe 23 passes; the shankleeing ipivotally secured 1 to the aareh -Within' :saidslou as will beunderstood. z-Atithe up-Yi-f' per end of'the shank 22 is a lug or*pin.:24i Which-enters the cam: groove 19-andis swung Cfr'om-side, to side atregular intervals bys'aid I groov e soth'at'the hoe'blade23 Will beswung -:across therow ofpl'antsandicut throughthe i same. The blade 23Sll0WI1 inzFigs-lyfz and *3 is mfia't continuous member having bothlongitudinal edges :sharpened :and [the shank 522*is' securedto, saidblade at-the' center-of the same. vThecam:groove;througha portion'of itslength, is disposed parallel Withthe ends of the wheel or disk 18-andatopposite sides parallel portions of the groove being corn 7 nected bydiagonally disposed portionayas' FFE e .of'the-centralradial plane of:the latter, the I clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and as will beunderstood. As the machine travels along therow of plants, the taperedrollers 13 will berotated through their tractive engagement with thesurface of the earth and their rotation willbe imparted through thesprocket gearing to the shaft 15 and thecam member 18. As a result ofthe rotation of the cam,

the hoe will be swung from side to side at regular intervals and will beheld at the side toward which it swings through an intermediate intervalso that it will cut through the plants first in one direction and thenin the opposite direction and between its two movements will be heldbeyond the plants so as to be free of the same.

Secured to the rear end portion of the main frame are hangers orstandards carrying plows 26 at their lower ends, and these plows may bein any preferred form, such as ordinary shovel plows or well-knownculirregularities andimpart a smooth continua ous surface of LlIllfOIIIlheight tov the ridge.

The tapered rollers following immediately behind the scrapers will rideon the sides of the ridge and will transmit motion through .thecooperating parts tothe hoe so that the hoe'will be oscillated atregular intervals to cut out plants, and the plowsthrow loose.

I dirt to the young plants left standing. In-

asmuch as the sides of the ridge have been reduced to a uniform level bythe scrapers,

the rollers willnot be subjected to vertical ;movement and the hoeconsequently will op- I erate at a uniform height so that it will al-'ways out through the plants instead of 1dig- 7 'gin'g into the dirt onsome strokes and swinging clear of the plants on other strokes, as isfrequently the case with cotton choppers as ordinarily built. It will benoted that the weight of the machine rests on the ta- 'pered' rollers sothat the rollers will not be. r V easily lifted by pebbles or othersmall obstructions which they may encounter,and the scrapers willturnsome of the soil cut oil" by them into the depressions inthe sidesof the I ridges so that there will be no ruts leftinto; :which therollers'may drop. The vertical adjustability of the standards whichcarry the rollers permits the user of the machine to properly set therollers sothat the hoe'will be brought into action at the proper heightabove theridge; This adjustability alsofacilitatesthe compensation forwearupon the parts.

The hoeillustrated in Figs, 1, 2 and 3 is. designed to make a single cutat each stroke.

andfis ordinarily about ten incheslongso that at each stroke itfwill cuta. swath of ing through a similar distance.

ten inches. The cam groove is so proportioned that the travel of themachine will leave a space of ten inches between cuts and the plantswill be left standing at ten inch intervals and in groups or bunchesextendgrowth of the plants progresses, they may be further thinned asmay be considered advisable. In Fig. 4', the hoe'is'shown as comprisinga shank 27 having an arched bracket 28 at its'lower end and to the endsof the bracket are secured blades 29, the spread of As I the the bracketbeing two inches and the length of each blade being four inches so thatthis hoe will leave plants standing at intervals of four inches and willmake two cuts at each stroke, the travel of the machine between thestrokes being the 'same as in the form first described. This form of hoemay be preferred when the initial thinning'of the plants, isperformedwhile they are very young, and it will be understood that various" formsof hoes will be supplied with the machine so that the user mayemploywhichever hoe seems to him most desirable under any given circumstances,In Fig. 5, I have illustrated a hoe especially adapted for use when theplants are just beginning to sprout and which will operate to cut cutgrass and vines which may be present and which may tend to choke thecotton plants if not removed; This hoe consists of a shank, 30 which.may

be of the same form asthe shank 22 and has a longitudinally extendingbar 31 secured to its lowerend. Depending from said longitudinal bar andspaced equi-distantly along the same are a series of narrow. knives orblades 32 having their ends sharpened, This hoe will remove veryyoungplants and. at

the same time will engage vinesand grass. which maybe growing betweenandaround the plants and will dra or rakesuch un-- desirable-growthsfromthe ridge so that the plants left standing will be free to develop.

The upper end of the shank of each. hoe is constructed to engage thecamgroovel9, as, will be understood.

.Having thus described l the invention, I claim:

A cotton chopper comprisinga frame hav- 7.

ing spaced side bars, seraperssuspended from said side 'barsbeneath theforward portion of the 1 frame and having blades diverging Arearwardly,-hangers secured against said side bars rearwardlyfrom' saidscrapers and ad 'justable vertically, ashaft rot'atably carried V by,the lowerends'of said hangers, rollersfast upon said [shaft behind thescrapersandta pered toward their inner ends, bearing brackets securedto'said side bars and extending cam'wheelbetween theside barshaving a shaftcarriedby the bearing brackets, said "wheel having its peripheral faceformed with a track composed of extended parallel por 125 upwardlytherefrom'behind said hangers, a

lit)

tions and diagonal portions, means to rotate I the Wheel shaft from theroller carrying shaft,

. a yoke secured to said side bars and extending transversely of theframe in front of said wheel, and a chopper back of the roller having ahandle extending vertically between the side bars and pivoted in spacedrelation to its upper end to the yoke for swinging transversely of theframe behind the rollers,

the upper end of the handle having a finger CHARLES E. MORRIS. 11.

